Avulsed — Vomiting Corpses – The 90s Regurgitations

Vomiting Corpses is a four-CD set that brings together all the 1990s studio output / plus a few live tracks from Spanish death metal band Avulsed. The set highlights the project's ability to pen memorable & relatively varied DM craft; as well as its tendency to experiment/ take fairly big risks- a prime example of this is the second album here 1998’s Cybergore- which was an attempt to blend two very distant genres DM & techno. 

The boxset appears on Dissonance Productions- which is the extreme metal sublabel of Cherry Red Records. With the four discs, each coming in their own CD slips, and the whole thing is presented in a fitting black & dark blood-red flip-side box. It comes with a glossy inlay booklet- this features a new twelve-page write-up about the band from respected extreme metal writer Oliver’Zoltar’ Bardin. Plus flyers, posters, live concert montage, etc. So, a nicely presented set.
 
Avulsed formed in Madrid in August 1991- the band was founded by Dave Rotten- who is connected with a whole host of bands such as Christ Denied, Holycide, Putrevore, Yskelogroth, Weaponry, Famishgod, and Anaëmia. He’d just finished his (compulsory) military service and decided he wanted to form a band, though it wasn't until February of the following year that they decided on the name 'Avulsed' releasing the first demo, Embalmed in Blood, in late October the same year. They’ve released seven proper albums- with the last being 2016’s Deathgeneration. Though the full discography takes in thirty-two titles in all.
 
The set kicks off with the bands official full-length debut- 1996’s Eminence In Putrescence, which appeared on Repulse Records. The original album is a ten-track affair- which clocks in at the forty-one-minute mark- with the tracks running between the three & the four-minute mark- this reissue features a rough mix of a track that appears on their next album. It moves galloping snare drum chug ‘n’ guttural barks of “Sweet Lobotomy” which has a few more speeding moments & a nicely sinister-yet melodic guitar breakdown. Onto “Frozen Meat” which opens in a slightly eastern melody-tinged metallic manner- before shifting between the rapid & mid pace with buzzing sawing riff craft, healthy drum kit battery, and some nicely scalding leads. Onto the pummelling ‘n’ darting drums, rapid ‘n’ reeling barks, dirtily sinister riff craft of “Bodily Ransack” which features a neat bass breakdown, and some more eastern-tinged soloing. All in all, Eminence In Putrescence is a consistent debut album.
 

Next up we have the most controversial album of the set 1998’s Cybergore-which once more appeared on Repluse Records. It’s a ten-track affair with one bonus track- the album was influenced by Fear Factory and their remix 1993 album Fear Is The Mindkiller. The album opens with the track “Frozen Beat”- it starts with a looped ambient harmonic glide, a low-key industrial loop, a breathing sample, and generally building sonic tense. The electro beats kick in, with a wailing eastern guitar tone, and deep barking growls. As we move on more electro-percussive elements are added- with later moody synth tone chime ‘n’ simmer, and traces of looped female moans/ police scanner loops added. As we move on through the first side of album, we have the tight ‘n’ taut electro tones, locked guitar chugg ‘n’ gun, looped screams, and DM vocal bays of “Harsh-Perversions”- this track gave me vibes of Front Line Assembly Millennium album.
Moving onto the albums second half, and we have the track “Gorroneality”. It’s built around a rapidly pelting electro percussion, looped guitar riff, deep barked vocals- with the occasional female screams, some high-pitch guitar toning, and hazing/ wowing electronica touches. There’s “Pastvoracity (Frozen Speed)” which begins tolling & chilling low & low-key DM slug. As we move on, we have the rapidly galloping ‘n’ snapping beats, nice oscillating electronics & guitar tones, and of course the vocal barks. With the album playing out “Beyond Monotony” the gunning ‘n’ galloping DM meeting, high pitch saws, more traditional & atmospheric metallic breakdowns, and subtle electro detail. All in all, I wholeheartedly enjoyed Cybergore- and it’s such a pity it got ripped apart by both critics & fans alike when it came out- as I find it worthy & well-made genre collusion.
 
 
Disc number three features the band's 1999 album Stabwound Orgasm- once more it’s on Repluse Records, and is a return to a more formal DM sound- though that’s not to say there isn’t flare & invention present. It’s an eleven-track affair- with this disc adding in five bonus tracks- taking in covers, live tracks, etc. After the instrumental & atmospheric first track, we come to the title track- this brings together a lead darting-yet-galloping DM riff, deep rolling growls, smashing ‘n’ clamouring drums, and some nicely sinister harmonic touches. There’s “Compulsive Hater” which opens with a looped NWOBHM-like melody, cluttering percussion, and almost death-doom feel- before launching into more rapid-paced riffing- though it nicely switches back & forth- with a nicely harmonic solo appearing at one point.
Moving onto the second half of the album we have “Anthro-Pet-Phagus” which blends rapid death belches, smarting ‘n’ bashing beats, and rapidly galloping-slightly sinisterly tinged riffing. Again, we have slower more moodily metallic guitar leads & breakdowns here. The album plays out with the epic and punishing ten minutes & forty of “Virtual Massacre” which moves from a meaty mid-paced death doom riff, and breakaway gallops. Through to grander & more majestic eastern-toned moments, onto more rapid DM breakouts. Stabwound Orgasm is another very consistent DM album- with memorable/ effective riffing, as well as rewarding blending in of elements from other metallic genres.
 
The final disc in the set is somewhat of an odd & ends affair. It takes in twelve tracks in all- three of which come from the 1994 EP Carnivoracity, which appeared on the wonderfully monikered Malodorous Mangled Innards Records. The tracks on this go from the churning ‘n’ grinding title track- which features some great boot-rumbling guttural vocals. Onto galloping DM rushing ‘n’ punish of “Crandle Of Bones”, with the EP finished off with a cover of Pentagram’s “Demonic Possession”. The remaining eight tracks are live recordings- which include two cover versions. 
 

It's certainly great to see Avulsed 90’s studio output collected together on Vomiting Corpses- and let's hope down the line they put out a set of the rest of their output, because after this they released another five albums- with the last of these being 2016’s Deathgeneration. If finish if you’re a fairly open-minded death metal fan, I’d most certainly pick this up.